3.2 The Senedd (Welsh Parliament)
Work with Members of the Senedd who represent you
The Senedd (otherwise known as the Welsh Parliament, or Senedd Cymru in Welsh, and formerly the National Assembly for Wales or Welsh Assembly) is made up of 60 Members of the Senedd (MS or AS in Welsh).
Similarly to the Scottish Parliament, Welsh residents are represented by more than one MS: one representing the local area (the constituency), and four more representing the region of Wales the person lives in.
MSs work to hold the Welsh government to account, as well as to resolve issues raised by constituents which relate to matters devolved to the Welsh Parliament. You can look up which areas the Senedd has power over here [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] , other areas are addressed by the UK Parliament or local councils.
Look up your MS by postcode here. MS offices can be contacted by letter, email, phone, and social media, with Members holding regular surgeries. Check out the dos and don’ts from Section 2.2 for advice about contacting elected representatives.
MSs can raise issues that have been brought to their attention in a variety of ways. For example, they can ask a question to a Minister (including the First Minister) during full meetings of the Senedd. These meetings take place in the main debating chamber, the Siambr, on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. They can also ask written questions, make points during debate, raise issues in committee meetings, or write directly to decision makers.
Aside from assisting and supporting constituents, MSs also have an important role to play in scrutinising laws and taxes. MSs therefore work to represent Wales and the issues that matter to the people who live there, through their contributions.
Signing or creating a petition
Petitions to the Senedd can be used to bring attention to an issue of concern (if the Senedd has power over the issue in question). Petitions with enough signatures and which meet the required standards (including the person or organisation starting it has a Welsh address) are considered by the Petitions Committee:
- Petitions with over 250 signatures will be reviewed by the Petitions Committee, who will decide what they can do to take the petition forward, which includes asking the Welsh government to take action.
- Petitions with over 10,000 signatures will be considered by the Committee for a debate in the Senedd chamber. Factors that are taken into account include the topic, how urgent it is, and the number of signatures from Welsh residents.
You can find more information about Senedd petitions here.
Working with Cross-party Groups (CPGs)
Members of the Senedd can set up Cross-party Groups (CPGs) relating to issues covered by the Senedd. They must be made up of representatives from at least three different party political groups represented in the Senedd. While they don’t have a formal role in policy making, they are well placed to raise awareness about issues. CPGs are also a great way for interest groups and campaigning bodies to speak directly to MSs and to discuss policy issues in detail.
You can see the current CPGs and contact details here.
Giving evidence to Committees
Senedd Committees examine proposed legislation and scrutinise the expenditure and policies of the Welsh government. Committees are made up of Members from different political parties, appointed by the Senedd in Plenary, and focus on particular subjects. Welsh residents can contact committees to suggest issues they think should be looked at in detail.
Committees may collect evidence from the public and organisations and then write a report for the government. Calls for written evidence are published on a committee’s webpage. A committee may use this written evidence when deciding who to invite to an oral evidence session to discuss the issue further.
You can find the current Senedd Committees here.
These are excellent opportunities for MSs to hear about issues that Welsh residents are concerned about, and then to raise awareness of them within and outside of Senedd.